The Coward And the Fox
by Negativa
Summary: She fled away from him and she knew how stupid she was while doing it. Naruto couldn't let her go just like that, so he followed. Oneshot about how to tell someone you love them, but what if you're too afraid to do it?


It might be a little confusing in the beginning, but just try to read 'til the end. Somehow I didn't want to name this OC...

* * *

**The Coward And the Fox**

"You love him don't you?" Sakura asked, looking seriously at her friend's back. The said ninja stopped. Her breath caught, and the knot around her chest felt tighter than it had in a while. The air in the hallway outside of Hokage's office just got colder for her. She stared forward, unable to say a thing, her throat feeling dry. What do you even say to a question like that? Sakura couldn't be serious if she really thought that she'd just-

"It doesn't matter," was her strained answer. Her knuckles were white when she pressed her nails too tightly into the skin of her palms. She'd tried to leave the office as fast as possible, sensing the glares Sakura was giving her again.

"What do you mean it doesn't matter?" Sakura asked, unable to understand her friend's mind. "Don't you think he'd want to know about your feelings?" She persuaded, stepping closer. Sakura sensed how she wanted to run.

"It doesn't matter!" She shouted, her voice echoing in the walls. Luckily, Shizune had stayed in the office and no one else was in sight. Still, they could possibly be heard in the office and along the halls too if they kept shouting a lot.

She turned around, her eyes almost with tears. "Firstly, he likes you, and he's such a dimwit, he'll never notice my feelings and do you know why that's so? Because he hasn't noticed Hinata's feelings, and, they're helluva lot more obvious than mine! Which gets us to the second reason: Hinata loves him. She's loved him longer than I have so she has...more rights for him." She ended, her voice drifting away towards the end and she turned away from Sakura again. Her hands had been raised in surrender, but she let them fall to her sides.

Sakura was shocked. She had always been up for anything and she'd always push anyone to do what their hearts told them to do.

"But you're hurting," Sakura tried pleadingly, whispering sadly and looking at the ground. Raising her head, Sakura took steps closer to her friend, placing an understanding hand on her shoulder. The other ninja sighed, in a defeated manner.

"So? He's not a-"

"Yes he is! He wants to be loved too!" Sakura shouted, turning her friend around herself, when she didn't do it by herself willingly. The smaller girl wouldn't look at her, simply tried to hide from her eyes, tried to hide the tears that were trying to be shed.

"Well, we've got to get Hinata to tell him her feelings!" The girl said bitterly, giving cold stares at their feet. Her nails broke the skin on her palms and she bit down on her lip, tiers almost coming over.

Sakura could tell how hard it was for the girl to say that, she was swallowing so much, so quickly. "Is... that... is that why you're taking these spying jobs?" Sakura asked, forcing the words out of her mouth.

"Yes," was the plain answer she got. Her friend wouldn't look at her. Not even now.

"Are you looking for to be killed or what?" Sakura asked, getting angry at her friend's behaviour and shook the girl a little. She just shook in Sakura's hands, given up and not even trying.

"Maybe. There's very little use of me anymore," her speech had fallen into a whisper. Sakura just stared.

"Don't say that!"

"Can't you see? There's going to be lots of fighting. The Akatsuki, Sasuke... And I'm not one of those who'll fight them," she said, now trying to free herself. Sakura tightened her grip.

"But Naruto needs you! You're always there softening the crazy things he says or does!"

"Hinata can do that as well," was the bitter answer the pink-haired kunoichi got.

"But.." Sakura tried to say, but got no chances.

"Sakura please... It's hard to talk about this..." The other ninja said, hanging her head down and shocked Sakura let go, unsure what to say or do. Her once so lively friend was feeling so down, Sakura felt a bang of pain in her chest.

"Hard to talk about what?" Naruto asked when he turned the corner. The slightly smaller girl jumped a little, her head shooting back up.

Sakura smiled widely, the other ninja holding her breath, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"The thing she's got to talk about with you," Sakura said while grinning wickedly. She waved and stomped away, chuckling to herself and hoping for the both of them, who she left behind.

Naruto blocked her way, so she couldn't run without looking suspicious. He was smiling while looking at her with soft eyes. He had to look down to her a little, he'd gotten taller by the time and she'd stayed as small as ever. Why was he looking so god damn good today again? This would be so much easier if he were ugly. But, maybe she wouldn't have fallen for him if he were ugly.

"So, what was it you needed to talk about with me?" Naruto said in his cheerful manner, expectantly. But unlike normally, she was silent and looked past him, playing with her kunai-ear rings. She kept staring and said nothing, making him fidget nervously a little. He was late already...

Being who he was, his patience didn't last that long. "O-okay. I need to go see the Hokage. How about I go do that and you wait here and tell me then? Great, see you then!" And Naruto was gone, flying away to the Hokage's office.

It took her a while to comprehend how easily he'd let her go. She felt like a coward, of course, but Hinata deserved the chance so much more than she did. So she fled away, ran through the city of Konoha, pushing past people and making them angry when she rudely bumped into them. She didn't stop, not until she reached the tree and ran up the tree that was almost next to the training grounds. There, she felt as if she was safe. But was it so wrong, running away from her only chance at love? Was it selfish? But... she just couldn't, she was afraid, for god's sake!

She sighed, as she leaned back against tree's bark. She was such a lousy ninja, wasn't she? Couldn't tell a boy how she loved him. His smile, his way of doing things, thinking. He made her smile, which was something she valued in a person. There was something so endearing in his "Believe it!" She just couldn't resist, the coward she was.

* * *

_Where was she!?_ Naruto stomped around in search of her. When he'd emerged from the Hokage's office, she hadn't been there where he'd left her. He'd walked around, looking for her, but she was no where in the Hokage's building.

Naruto jumped off of the windowsill he'd been sitting on. That lazy figure could be only one person.

"Oi! Shikamaru!" He shouted, stopping the ninja.

Shikamaru turned lazily to him, only half-way, with his hands in his pockets. "Naruto," he greeted.

"Shikamaru, have you seen her?" Naruto asked, half-worried. Shikamaru looked the hyper-ninja up and down. He lifted his other shoulder.

"No, I haven't. Why?" Shikamaru asked. He had things to do, but they could wait all the time they could.

"She had something important to tell me. But now she's gone," Naruto said, looking around them in the busy street.

Shikamaru's eyebrows shot up. She was his friend as well, and being a genious he'd already figured out her feelings for Naruto. And she'd told him eventually, once when they'd been watching clouds. That wasn't a conversation he liked though, for he remembered it for other reasons. She'd kept trying to hook him up with someone. The chuunin shivered, filled with the memory.

"Sounds troublesome," Shikamaru said, trying to sound like he didn't care. He of course, having talked with her about the subject and being a genious, knew all about the complexes around the situation. Or the complexes she thought there were. Really, she thought in a too troublesome way.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Naruto said with a small grin and cratching his head.

"You-

"Well, I guess I'm off then! See ya Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted and jumped off again.

Shikamaru stared after him for a moment, irritated. Naruto hadn't waited for him to say where he thought she could be! He was just as troublesome as she was, they deserved each other!

"Sakura! She knows where she is!" Naruto thought and changed his course. So the orange-clad ninja was off in search of his long time comrade.

* * *

"She what!" Sakura asked incrediously. She was shocked and stopped everything she'd been doing before Naruto had found her and asked if she knew where that coward-ish ninja was. But she didn't know and all she did was stare at him. She couldn't believe it! Her friend had just ran away, when he'd turn his back at her. Now Sakura was clueless as to what to do. She'd left the two of them alone, letting Naruto know they'd have to talk. Yet the girl escapes once more! Sakura shook her head, her friend's mind being totally out of her league. Or so it felt at least at the moment.

"Sakura-chan, what is so important she had to tell me? Why'd she left anyway?" Naruto asked, curiously. Sakura looked at him, debaiting what to do.

"Alright Naruto, I'll tell you what she was going tell you," Sakura said with a sigh. Naruto perked up a little.

"She...she loves you Naruto. But she doesn't think you feel the same. And she knows of Hinata's feelings for you. So she thinks Hinata and you ought to date, not you and her," Sakura said, taking in Naruto's facial expressions. He'd gone totally blank, not really looking at her anymore, but past her.

Naruto turned around, looked up at the sky. "Thank you Sakura-chan. Thank you for telling me." He was going to leave, but Sakura stopped him with a tight grip at the wrist.

"Wait, Naruto! Do you love her back?" Sakura asked, suddenly out of breath for her dear friend. The silence that followed her words was stretching.

He looked at the sky for a while, before breaking into a smile. Naruto glanced at Sakura over his shoulder, a smile playing on his face. "Yes, I do." And then he was off.

Sakura smiled widely, looking after him. She felt happy for them. If she didn't screw this one too, Sakura thought with a grimace.

* * *

The night had fallen in, and she had fallen asleep. A big mistake, for now her back was killing her! She stretched like a cat and almost fell off in her haste. A strong pair of hands caught her before she did and pulled her back to the tree's branch. It may have been dark, but his orange suit was visible even in the dark. She had to blink to get her suprise out of her head and thoughts clearer.

"Hey!" He said brightly, but his eyes were deep, full of emotions. She sat opposite of him, Naruto having his back against the tree, sitting in the place she had only moments before.

She leaned back into her arms, taking support from them and shook her hair out of face. Her cheeks must be blazing red now, she felt sure of it.

"Hi," she answered unsurely. Her heart was beating fast and faster, fleeing from her chest. She had to look at him, it had been so long she'd really looked at him.

"Why'd you run away?" Naruto asked, looking at her, wanting to see every little expression she would have.

She swallowed hard and looked away and back again. "Honestly? I was scared."

Naruto looked at the branch and back at her, eyes filled with questions. He played nervously with his fingers. "Are you afraid of me?" He asked, no longer smiling and she had hard time to hear his words. But his silent words made her step back, mentally.

"No Naruto! Never! I couldn't, just couldn't," she said, meaning every word, and she hoped he could hear it. He looked at her and a small smile appeared on his lips.

They were silent for a while. Both looking somewhere, than at the other, but quickly away again.

Naruto smiled a little mischievously and looked at her knowingly. "I talked with Sakura-chan."

She went rigid and for a moment she couldn't breath. "R-really? What did you talk about?" She was so going to get back at Sakura!

"You." She could hear the smile in Naruto's voice, why was he smiling? What was there to smile for?

"M-me?" She stuttered, out of breath and confused. What was he going to do now? What exactly had Sakura told him?

She was going to say something else too, but suddenly felt a warm breath upon her face and opened her eyes in shocked manner – when had she shut them? Naruto was sitting right in front of her and leaned in closer. He was smiling happily.

"Naruto?" She whispered, mesmerized by his blue eyes that glowed in the dark. How she wanted to lean in, give in and kiss him, hold him 'till he couldn't breathe! 'Till neither of them could breathe.

Naruto leaned even closer, leaned past her face, his lips brushing against her cheek and making her gasp. He laid his head on her shoulder, his warm breath warming her neck, and making her blush more. He smiled there, taking in the warmth that radiated from her.

"I love you too."

And she gasped, jumped away from him, shocked and fell off the branch. Neither had the time to do a thing, before she hit the ground. She saw stars for moments, for two reasons. Hitting her head and-! She blinked, her vision being a little blurry. Really, was she awake, or dreaming?

Naruto couldn't help but laugh, when she lay there eagle-spread and eyes as wide as ramen-bowls. She was staring up at the sky like she'd never seen it before. And like this, she never had. Naruto loved her? He knew she loved him and loved her back! Could it be possible?

He landed next to her, crouched down right beside her head, still smiling down to her. "Are you alright?" He asked, worried yet smiling. And they said he was comical!

She nodded and he laid next to her, looking up at the sky. He tried to reach for her hand, but she pulled away, rolled away from him and sat up. Naruto's expression turned hurt and he sat up as well.

"I-I'm sorry Naruto. But Hinata...I don't want to hurt her!" She shouted and stood up so quickly she almost fell over again. But Naruto catched her once again and turned her around, warm emotions on his face and small hurt still evident on his face.

"Not to sound harsh, but forget her. I love you, you love me. What other reasons do we need?" He asked softly, cupping her face in his hands. He was warming her all over, making her feel complete.

She hung her head, Naruto holding it up a little. "But-"

Naruto catched her words with his lips, covering her lips with his. She went rigid again, but relaxed into his touch, his kiss, never wanting anything else. It was all she'd yearned for. A soft kiss turned quickly into a hot, passionated one, when both of them leaned into the other one, took support from the other.

Her hands went up to his bright hair and got tangled up there. He was warm next to her, supporting and so _there_. For a moment, they broke apart, catching breath again and then dived back in at the same time.

Naruto traced her lips with his tounge, begging for entrance and quickly gaining it. They didn't fight for dominance. They shared it, Naruto searching her mouth and her tounge massaging his tongue. She sighed into the kiss, his hands holding her up on her toes.

Her breath was taken away, so reluctantly she broke apart, landing on her feet again, placing her hands on his shoulders and letting her head fall against his chest. He smiled warmly, hugging her to him and placed his cheek on top of her head.

Knowing her thoughts about this, he pulled a little apart. "How do you feel now?" He asked, fear of rejection in his mind.

She could see how warily he looked at her. She wanted to give in, that kiss being the thing that made her feel alive again. Naruto was good at things like that.

So she sighed, placed her head back against his chest. He went completely still at her movement.

"We're going to have to talk with Hinata tomorrow," she gave in, smiling shyly up at him. She saw how the sparkles came back to his eyes and his beautiful smile. Naruto began laughing and his laughter got bigger and bigger, until she was laughing with him. He took her feet off of the ground and spun her around, both still laughing. They both had waited long for the other.

Both of their heads had begun to spin and they fell to the ground. She planted a small kiss on Naruto's lips, making him smile wider. He went to dive in for another, but she stopped him with a small finger on his lips.

"Tomorrow," she reminded him.

He smiled and nodded, his eyes planted on her lips. "Believe it," he whispered and kissed her again, taking her breath away and making her toes curl.

Believe it indeed.


End file.
